


Like fish out of water

by WolfKomoki



Series: Stiles and Derek are merpeople [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Hybrid Derek, M/M, Merman Derek, Merman Stiles, Werewolf merman Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 08:46:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4600335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfKomoki/pseuds/WolfKomoki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek was neither human nor fish nor wolf. He was a werewolf merman hybrid. It wasn't until they were both in eight feet of water that Derek realizes that Stiles too was a merman. After abandoning their pods they now live on land.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like fish out of water

**Author's Note:**

> This au came about when rewatching the pool scene. Am I the only one that noticed that Derek's eyes were open when he was supposedly drowning? Anyway Teen Wolf is owned by MTV.

          Derek had once lived in the sea, that is until he decided to give up his tail. The problem is the tail is the only thing he was allowed to give up. He still had gills when underwater, so he could breathe underwater without a tail.

Problem is he’s a werewolf on land, and no one knew that he could breathe underwater.

          He knew that they had to notice how sad he was around water. Derek wanted to live in the water again, but without a tail his legs would dry out and eventually he had to eat. He couldn’t eat underwater now could he? Well, he could, but raw fish tasted disgusting underwater.

         Oh, and he abandoned his pod, he couldn’t just freely hang out underwater with legs. He felt Stiles holding him up with what little strength he had left.

          “Stiles, Stiles look at me! You have to let go.” Derek begged. He wouldn’t drown in the pool and he could stay under until the venom wore off and Stiles could save himself.

          “No, no, no Derek! I’m not letting you go!” Stiles gasped.

          “Please Stiles you’ll drown!” Derek begged.

          “So will you!” Stiles gasped. Derek went silent at that. He wanted to say “No, I won’t” but he didn’t.

          “Okay, I can’t, I can’t hold on much longer. I’m sorry Derek.” Derek watched as Stiles let him go and swam to the surface. Derek smiled as his paralyzed body sank to the bottom of the pool.

          Like a reflex his gills appeared on his neck, allowing him to breathe. He looked at the bottom walls of the pool floor and stared, mesmerized. His breathing was normal, even in the chlorine though he gasped when he saw Stiles dive under the water for him. He laughed.

          Of course he didn’t let him stay here, even if he could breathe. Stiles grabbed his arm as he pulled him to the surface. His silver and purple tail splashing frantically as he pulled Derek up. Derek choked on the fresh air.

          “Der? Der what’s wrong? Der!” Stiles panicked when he started choking and then he realized. _Fuck he had gills!_ Stiles pushed Derek back in the water as he got back to land. Derek gasped as the water filled his lungs—gills—whatever. He waited in the water for the venom to wear off and finally it did.

          Derek swam up to surface and when he climbed out his gills were gone.

          “Can you breathe now?” Stiles asked. Derek nodded sadly as he was forced out of the water again.

          “You miss the water don’t you?” Stiles finally asked.

          “How’d you figure it out?” Derek asked.

          “Well the gills were my second clue but my first clue was when we’d pass any body of water you’d suddenly become depressed.” Stiles told him. Scott finally arrived and fought off the kanima.

          “How come you don’t have a tail?” Stiles asked a week after the incident.

          “It’s the cost of being a hybrid. If you choose land and abandon your pod you only get to keep the gills. The first time I went to the surface I shifted into a werewolf and left my pod.” He sighed.

          “And you can’t go back?” Stiles asked.

          “No, once you leave the pod you can’t ever go back.” Derek sighed.

          “But you can still swim in the ocean right?” Stiles asked.

          “Uh Stiles, humans aren’t supposed to have gills. How do you think a beach full of humans would react to a man with gills underwater?” Derek asked.

          “So go at night then!” Stiles offered.

         “I… can’t.” Derek sighed. He had fallen in love with Stiles, and Stiles didn’t have gills. It wasn’t fair to him, or Derek.

          “Why not?” Stiles asked. When did Stiles start crying?

          “Because you can’t come with me.” Derek finally broke.

          “You really don’t know?” Stiles finally asked.

          “Don’t know what?” Derek asked

          “Watch.” And Stiles threw himself into the pool. Derek screamed until he saw his legs change to a silver and purple tail.

          “Y-You’re?!” Derek gasped. He wasn’t the only merperson that had abandoned the sea?

          “Yes, Derek.” Stiles smiled.

          “Hey, um can you get me out of here buddy? Kinda can’t move.” Stiles asked. Derek chuckled.

          “Come here you silly fish.” And Derek pulled him out. Stiles regained his legs soon after and they decided to go to the abandoned beach.

          “No one’s supposed to swim here but we can. Come on, it’ll be fun.” Stiles smiled as he and Derek dove into the ocean depths below.

Being in the water was like a breath of fresh air for Derek.

          His gills covered his neck as he gripped Stiles’s fin.

          He looks at him and asks in chirps and high pitched squeals,”Is this okay?”.

          “Fine.” Stiles replies in a squeal. Derek smiled as he held onto Stiles as Stiles rode to a cave in the ocean.

          “Derek, if I could get your tail back, would you be okay with that?” Stiles asked, still in squeals and whines.

          “I…” Derek thought about it. He had been without a tail for twenty years. This was the only thing stopping him from living in the ocean. If he had a tail he could live with Stiles and never return to the surface again.

          “Der?” Stiles asked.

          “Yes, yes, I want it!” Derek squealed. Stiles told him to climb into the water and just float. Derek nodded and floated as the full moon’s reflection shined over his legs. Slowly, but surely his legs turned into his red tail back in its full glory.

          “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Derek spoke. Stiles kissed him as they swam in the ocean for months. It was three months when Derek and Stiles heard it. _Derek, Stiles please come back to us. I-I know you prefer the sea, but I miss you okay? I know you can hear me because that’s what this shell is designed to do. I can’t breathe underwater like you do and it tears me apart inside with you gone._

          “We have to go back.” And on that day Derek and Stiles ran into Scott’s loving arms, sopping wet.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I totally haven't slept today so blame that for this weird au okay?


End file.
